Undergraduate

Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

The Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development focuses on research and teaching in the areas of agriculture, rural communities, natural resources, environment, and regional development. The Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development was established in 1997 through the consolidation of the Department of Agricultural Economics and the Department of Rural Adult Education. Due to the liberalization of international agricultural trade and the outset of local self-governing, a new approach has become necessary with regard to the study of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development in Korea. This integration has opened a new horizon and added new variety in interdisciplinary research and teaching, which are both necessary for the investigation of modern socioeconomic problems dealing with areas such as food, natural resources, environment, and balanced regional development.

This department serves as two major fields of study for both undergraduate and graduate students: agricultural economics and regional information. Undergraduate students are required to take Principles of Economics, Introduction to Agricultural Economics and Regional Development, and Economical Mathematics as prerequisites.

After their freshman year, depending on their major, students can take courses either in agricultural economics or regional information. Before taking core courses in agricultural economics, undergraduate students in this major are required to take Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Agricultural Economics, and Quantitative Analysis in Agricultural Economics. Students majoring in regional information are required to take Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Agricultural Information Systems, Regional Development, and Fundamentals of Spatial Economics. Undergraduate students in either of these fields will receive a bachelor’s degree in Economics (majoring in agricultural economics or in regional information). The department offers programs in agricultural economics and regional information for graduate students.

Program

The agricultural economics program is nationally recognized for its tradition of excellence. Our program has produced generations of distinguished scholars and a long list of influential alumni, including several Ministers of the Korean Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

This program delivers one of the most efficient undergraduate and graduate programs by providing its graduates with the best opportunities in related fields. In addition, it is flexibly designed to adjust to changing agricultural environments and societal needs.

Programs focus on applied problems such as the efficiency of firms in the agriculture-based sector, including agribusiness, as well as the sustainability of agricultural production, environmental resources, and rural development.

The program has eight faculty members and more than 40 graduate students dedicated to improving society through the study of agricultural economics. It provides students with ethical and professional expertise. Graduates of the program are well-prepared to be leaders responsible not only for academic society but also to their communities.